HOPE
FLOATS
BREAD
22 We
know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth
right up to the present time. 23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the
firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption
as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen
is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? 25 But if we hope for what we do
not yet have, we wait for it patiently. Romans 8:22-25 (NIV)
16 Men
swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said
and puts an end to all argument. 17 Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of
his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with
an oath. 18 God
did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God
to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly
encouraged. 19 We
have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. Hebrews 6:16-19 (NIV)
6 Love
does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always
trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 1 Corinthians 13:6-7 (NIV)
37 “For
nothing is impossible with God.” Luke
1:37 (NIV)
14 Is
anything too hard for the Lord? Genesis 18:14 (NIV)
23 Let us
hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. Hebrews 10:23 (NIV)
20 We
wait in hope for the Lord; he is
our help and our shield. 21 In him
our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. 22 May your unfailing love rest
upon us, O Lord, even as we put
our hope in you. Psalms 33:20-22 (NIV)
13 May
the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that
you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13 (NIV)
20 Now to
him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according
to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus
throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21 (NIV)
BUTTER
“God is the creator and sustainer of everyone and everything
and His power and greatness are ‘immeasurable.’ He is ‘able to do far more
abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within
us’ (Eph. 3:20). This provides perspective as we pray for the future of the
United States, and for the world. ‘For nothing will be impossible with God’
(Luke 1:37). The people in Daniel’s day had to be reminded, as do we, that in
the best and the worst of times, the believer’s hope doesn’t rest in kingdoms
of this world but in the eternal kingdom that has come in the person and work
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Unlike earthly kingdoms, which last only for a
season, of Christ’s kingdom there will be no end. God sets up kings and God
takes them down and they exist only under God’s dominion and sovereignty.” Alistair
Begg
“Grace
is the grand and only resource for us all.
It is the basis of our salvation; the basis of a life of practical
godliness; and the basis of those imperishable hopes which animate us amid the
trials and conflicts of this sin-stricken world. May we cherish a deeper sense
of grace, and more ardent desire for glory!”
C H MacIntosh
“Give
me the love that leads the way, The faith that nothing can dismay, The hope no
disappointments tire, The passion that will burn like fire, Let me not sink to
be a clod: Make me Thy fuel, Flame of God.” Amy Carmichael
“The
Christian is suspended between blessings received and blessings hoped for, so
he should always give thanks.” M. R. Vincent
“We
shall never find happiness by looking at our prayers, our doings, or our
feelings; it is what Jesus is, not what we are, that gives rest to the
soul. If we would at once overcome Satan
and have peace with God, it must be by ‘looking unto Jesus’. Keep thine eye simply on Him; let His death,
His sufferings, His merits, His glories, His intercession, be fresh upon thy
mind; when thou wakest in the morning look to Him; when thou liest down at
night look to Him. Oh! Let not thy hopes or fears come between thee
and Jesus; follow
hard after Him, and He will never fail thee.”
C. H. Spurgeon
“Other
men see only a hopeless end, but the Christian rejoices in an endless hope.” Gilbert Brenken
“Seeking
with faith, hope, and love pleases our Lord; and finding Him pleases the soul,
filling it full of joy.” Julian of Norwich
“Canst thou answer this, believer? Canst thou find any reason why thou art so
often mourning instead of rejoicing? Why
yield to gloomy anticipations? Who told
thee that the night would never end in day?
Who told thee that the winter of thy discontent would proceed from frost
to frost, from snow and ice, and hail, to deeper snow, and yet more heavy
tempest of despair? Knowest thou not
that day follows night, that flood comes after ebb, that spring and summer
succeed winter? Hope thou then! Hope thou ever! For God fails thee not!” Charles H. Spurgeon
“Luther
was once found at a moment of peril and fear, when he had need to grasp unseen
strength, sitting in an abstracted mood tracing on the table with his finger
the words, ‘Vivit! Vivit!’ (‘He lives!
He lives!’). It is our hope for
ourselves, and for His truth, and for mankind.
Men come and go; leaders, teachers, thinkers speak and work for a
season, and then fall silent and impotent.
He abides. They die, but He
lives. They are lights kindled, and,
therefore, sooner or later quenched; but He is the true light from which they
draw all their brightness, and He shines forevermore.” Alexander Maclaren
“Though
we now see but a poor reflection as in a mirror, we hold the certainty of the
hope of glory in our hearts. And what
does that entail? As believers, we are
presently objects of Divine approval and blessedness because of the blood of
Jesus and His righteousness and we presently possess this glory in spirit by
the Holy Spirit. One day – either upon
Jesus’ return or our death – we will be transformed outwardly as well into this
glorified beautiful condition. It is a
state into which one is accorded the fullest enjoyment of the admiration of God
as objects of His highest regard and praise and further the enjoyment of fullness,
satisfaction, joy, righteousness and ceaseless delight. It encompasses outward splendor, grandeur,
pomp, elegance, magnificence, beauty, excellence of appearance, impressiveness,
brilliance, illustriousness and eminence (Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible –
New Testament Lexical Aids). Therefore,
encourage one another with these words!”
BHY
HEART
SAVOR
- · “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.” Edward Mote
- · “And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.” Romans 5:2 (NIV)
- · I am to wait on the Lord and keep His ways.
